Cookbooks

I'm often asked by friends and acquaintances about good cookbooks.

It's a hard question for me because most of the cooking I do is by technique, tempered and informed by experience. 

I do own a lot of books about food, but many of them are reference texts.

I recently bought a copy of Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. This is one of the best cooking books (as opposed to the standard cookbook) I've bought in quite a while. 

It contains a lot of information in the style of On Food and Cooking with some recipes based on the 33 ratios presented. The idea behind the book is that once you know some key ideas about how to combine certain ingredients, making variations on a theme is easy.

I would highly recommend this book to folks who are looking for something to help them expand their technique and to understand how to vary their favorite recipes while still getting excellent results. 

Rogue Irish Style Lager

This is the second of the trio of Rogues I bought at Brewery Creek.

Appearance: A light amber colour, slightly hazy like one might see in a wheat beer, nice small bubbles.

Taste: A classic lager with some hop and not too much fizz. A short finish with an aftertaste of malt.

Mouth feel: Light and refreshing, smooth on the palate.

Overall: This is a nice simple lager, has a nice flavour and is better than mainstream lagers. 

Rating: 7/10

The Glories of Comfort Food

I went to Campagnolo for dinner on Tuesday night. Now while we're not here to do restaurant reviews, I did want to talk about something that is dear to my heart. Simplicity and the art of comfort food.

Campagnolo did this to a tee with our dessert...a very simple, but elegant, Nutella Tart. Now, I assure you that it was more than chocolate and hazelnut butter in a pie shell, but the point is that it brought back memories of many desserts from my childhood. My grandmother used to make some amazing puddings (some in tart shells and some just in a bowl)...and this tart made me think of those. I haven't had one of my grandmother's puddings in over 20 years, but it still made me think I was standing in her kitchen.

And that's what good comfort food should do. It should take you back to those great times. But it should also add something to the experience. Something that makes you wonder "how'd they do that?"

Oh, and for me, that usually means I have to try and make a version of it myself.

Jonathan

Rogue Juniper Pale Ale

I recently visited my favorite independent beer and wine store, Brewery Creek, and bought a trio of Rogue brews to sample. Gerry, the manager, recommended this one to me.

Appearance: A beautiful straw gold color. It has a nice dense foam head and small bubbles.

Aroma: As one might expect from a pale ale, it had a hoppy aroma, with a hint of citrus.

Taste: A fine hoppy start that refreshes the palate as you drink it. A nice taste of hops and juniper on the finish. Very nice.

Mouth Feel: Refreshingly light on the palate with smooth small bubbles allowing the flavours to percolate nicely over the tongue.

Overall: Highly recommended. I am not usually a fan of especially hoppy beers, but this one is a winner.

Rating: 8/10

Welcome to The Heirloom Kitchen

The Heirloom Kitchen is a personal chef and wine (and beer!) tasting services partnership formed by Roger & Jonathan. 

Jonathan is the chef and culinary master and Roger is the baker and wine expert. 

Let us plan your next event for you!

Meanwhile, please enjoy our blog. We will post reviews of beers and wines as well as make announcements about our business. 

Cheers!

Roger & Jonathan